


Could They Be Ours?

by PattRose



Category: The Sentinel (TV)
Genre: Family Feels, Kid Fic, M/M, Mild Language, Sappy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-12
Updated: 2020-05-12
Packaged: 2021-03-03 02:34:12
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 15,790
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24137443
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PattRose/pseuds/PattRose
Summary: Jim and Blair meet later and Jim already knows he’s a Sentinel.  He and Blair meet at their children’s play at school.  Fireworks might fly.
Relationships: Jim Ellison/Blair Sandburg
Comments: 2
Kudos: 16





	Could They Be Ours?

**Author's Note:**

  * For [zoobyli](https://archiveofourown.org/users/zoobyli/gifts).



> This story is for Zoobyli. She leaves so many nice comments after reading my stories, I thought it was time for a story just for her. :)

Could They Be Ours?  
By PattRose  
Summary: Jim and Blair meet later and Jim already knows he’s a Sentinel. He and Blair meet at their children’s play at school. Fireworks might fly.   
Genre: Slash  
Rating: Teen  
Warnings: Kid Fic, Language.   
Word Count:   
Beta: Bluewolf. Thank you. 

Ten years earlier, Detective Jim Ellison married Carolyn Plummer and they had two children within six years. Their son was first and his name was Jordan. Carolyn picked his name and put James as his middle name. Their daughter was last and her name was to be Juliette Rose. Both children were beautiful and filled with love. When Jordan was six and Juliette was two, Carolyn was killed in a car accident. Jim still felt guilty about his wife getting in the accident. They had gotten into a terrible argument right before she left. She was on her way to see a lawyer about a divorce. 

You see, Jim was honest with her and told her he didn’t love her like he needed to anymore. She knew he was bi when they married but Jim never really gave it too much thought until after the children were born. Carolyn had gone her own way and left the kids with Jim most of the time. She was more concerned about her job then even Jim was. Their marriage started going downhill when Juliette was only one. 

Jim was asked out by many friends and of course he said he would never do that to Carolyn. After two years of being ignored, Jim felt like he might want to be happy with his children instead of staying with Carolyn and regretting ever marrying her. But then he always thought about his children and realized that he wouldn’t have changed a thing. The children made his life complete. 

Jim started going to the library about a year after Carolyn died to see if he could find out anything about his fugue periods and hearing and seeing much more than he should. He found something by Sir Richard Burton and realized he was a Sentinel. He talked to Simon, his boss, and of course Simon made him perform like a seal before he believed all this stuff. It said in the book that Jim needed a Guide and he began to wonder if he would ever find her or him. 

Jim moved in with his Dad after Carolyn died. _He_ didn’t want the kids to be reminded of her death every day. William loved having Jim and the children living there. But he knew that Jim needed to find someone. William could see the loneliness in his son. It had been three years since Jim had lost Carolyn. William found himself praying for the perfect man to come along. Yes, William knew that Jim liked men. He caught Jim staring at guys from time to time. But Jim didn’t act on anything. William had hopes that he would find someone soon.

******************************

Blair Sandburg married his high school sweetheart and moved to Cascade so that he could go to Rainier University. Sarah was 19 to Blair’s 17. She never let age get in the way. When Blair was 20, Sarah had their first child. Her name was Anna Rose. Four years later, she had a son for Blair and his name was Cason Blair. Two years after she gave him two children, they found out she had cancer and she died shortly after that. Blair, Cason and Anna lived in a very small house. It had two bedrooms and Blair had put each of the children in one of them and he slept on the sofa. Blair was now teaching at the University and making a decent living. Thankfully so.

Cason was happy in kindergarten and Anna was in fourth grade and loved school. She had many friends but talked about a certain friend more than others. His name was Jordan Ellison and they hung out at school during lunch every day. Anna wished she could live in the same neighborhood as the Ellisons. There was something about Jordan that was different than most boys. But when he was around Anna, he seemed to be fine. She figured he was just shy sometimes. 

Blair was very lonely and his children knew it. Anna constantly tried to fix him up with people from school. She hated seeing her dad so lonely. But he wouldn’t listen to her. 

Blair suffered from a lot of guilt. You see, he and Sarah weren’t meant to be after all. Sarah had met someone else and was going to leave Blair and the children. That’s when she found out she had cancer. She asked Blair if she could stay to die in her home. What was he going to say?

Anna walked up to Blair in the kitchen and asked, “Are you going to make it to our play tomorrow?”

“Yes, I’ll be there with Cason. He’s excited about seeing his big sister in a play. I am too. So you’re the princess in The Case of the Missing Crown?”

“Yes, Dad, I am. My best friend is the prince. We’ve practiced so much that we’re sick of the darn play,” Anna teased. 

“Jordan is the prince? Someday, I hope to meet him.”

“I wish we lived where he does. Cason is best friends with Jordan’s little sister. Her name is Juliette.”

“How sweet. Maybe I’ll meet Jordan’s parents at the play.”

“He just has a dad like we do. His mom died too.”

Blair walked over and hugged his daughter. “If you ever miss your mom and want to talk about her I understand. We can talk anytime.”

“Dad, I knew that she wasn’t going to stay with us. She didn’t love any of us enough.”

“Anna, what are you talking about?”

“I heard her talking to a man at the front door right before she got sick. She told him that she would be rid of us soon. I was six years old, Dad. I remember.”

Blair wrapped his arms around his daughter and hugged her close. “We never tell Cason. All right? I’m sorry you had to know this, Anna.”

“I’m fine, Dad. Now, don’t forget the play tomorrow. You promised you would record it.”

“I will. I’m off tomorrow, so I have tons of time to get ready. Cason and I will be there.”

“I have to do homework. Talk to you later, Dad.” Anna skipped off into her bedroom and Blair felt such sadness and loss for her. But she seemed to be dealing with it better than Blair was.

******************************

“Hey, Dad, did you get the day off tomorrow to come and see the play at my school?” Jordan asked.

Jim smiled. “Yes, I took the day off. Juliette and I will be there to see you and the princess. You’ve talked of little else since you got the part, Jordan.”

“She’s my best friend. My guy friends tease me for liking her, but I do. And not like a girlfriend. More like I feel about Juliette. Like a sister, you know?”

“Don’t let them give you a hard time, Jordan. It’s important to have good friends,” Jim stated. 

“Why don’t you ever date anyone Dad?”

“I don’t think it would work.”

“Dad, I’m 9 years old. I’m old enough to know you don’t like women.”

Jim stared at his son and said, “Who told you that?”

“No one. I watch you watching people and I feel bad. Maybe there is a nice guy out there that wouldn’t mind putting up with me and Juliette.”

“Jordan, no one would ever have that attitude with _my_ children. You come first. I come last. I will consider dating someone someday soon.”

“Good. I don’t think Juliette understands yet, Dad. But she will. I think Grandpa knows too.”

“When did you get so wise, Jordan?”

Jordan hugged his dad and said, “I have to do homework. You might read to Juliette tonight. She seemed down in the dumps.”

Jim kissed his son’s head and said, “I’ll do that right now.”

Jim walked into Juliette’s bedroom and said, “Okay, who wants a story?”

“Not me. I’m practicing reading. My best friend, Cason, knows how to read really well, already. So during lunch he teaches me. I’m getting better every day, Daddy.”

“Let me hear you read. And who is Cason?”

“Cason Sandburg. He’s my best friend in the world, Daddy. His sister is best friends with Jordan.”

“So the four of you know each other?”

“Yup, we both don’t have mothers.”

Jim noticed that she didn’t look sad when she said it either. How quickly these kids grew up. Jim was saddened by this. 

“Pick out an easy book and I’ll read it to you,” Juliette said. 

“How about this one?”

“Perfect, Daddy. Now sit down on my bed and relax. Maybe I’ll read you to sleep.”

Jim hugged her and said, “I’m all for a nap.”

She giggled and opened the book and started to read. Jim was amazed at how well she was doing. Jim was going to have to find this young Sandburg boy and tell him what a good job he was doing with teaching Juliette to read. Jim found himself looking forward to it.

******************************

The next day, Blair was going to pick up Cason when Cason said, “There’s my dad. Come and meet him, Juliette.”

Jim was holding Juliette’s hand and found himself being dragged across the room to meet Mr. Sandburg. 

“Daddy, this is Juliette that I told you about. We’ve been working on reading together. She’s almost as good as me now.”

“Hello. This is my daddy. His name is Jim Ellison.”

Blair put his hand out to shake hands and when their skin touched they both felt the jolt of electricity. They both pulled their hand back and looked at each other oddly. 

“It’s very nice to meet you, Mr. Sandburg. Cason has done a really good job with teaching Juliette to read.”

“It’s good meeting you too, Mr. Ellison. My name is Blair, if that’s easier.”

“And I’m Jim.”

“All those J’s in your family. Does it get confusing sometimes?” Blair asked. 

“All the time. My wife insisted on giving them all J names. And it’s too late now to change them,” Jim kidded. 

“You want to change our names, Daddy?” Juliette asked. 

This made both men laugh. 

Blair asked, “Do you want to sit with us for the play?”

Jim smiled at Blair and said, “We’d love to. Maybe after the play we could go out for a meal.”

“That’s a great idea. Think of a place while we’re watching the prince and princess.”

They all started over to the main hall for the play. Jim said, “I’m going to stand in the back and record the play. I don’t want to be in anyone’s way.”

“That’s a good idea. Could I possibly have a copy when you have the time?” Blair asked. “I brought my camera too but I think it would be easier if only one of us did it. What do you think?”

“I think you’re right. I’ll send it to school tomorrow with Jordan.”

“Great. Maybe we could do something this weekend with the children. If you’re not busy.”

“I’m a Detective in Major Crimes and I have Tuesdays and Sundays off. So Sunday is open, unless I have a big case that comes up.”

“Sunday it is. If you give me your phone number I’ll call you and we can make plans,” Blair said. 

“Sounds good. I’d better get to the back of the hall or everyone will yell. See you all when it’s over. Juliette, you stay right here with Mr. Sandburg.”

“It’s Blair. She can call me that too.”

“Go, Daddy. Jordan wants you to record it. Get started. Put us in it first.” She smiled and put her arm around Cason and they both smiled, so cute that Jim almost melted. So did Blair. 

Jim did record the two little ones for a short time and then he walked to the back of the room. He noticed that his senses were calm around Blair. Why would that be?

The play finally started and it was so cute that Blair kept looking back at Jim and Jim found himself so attracted to Blair, it wasn’t even funny. _Not the time or the place, Ellison._

The play was so cute with only a few mistakes being made and none by Jordan and Anna. They stole the show. When it was over, they walked into the audience and sat with Cason, Juliette and their dads. 

“We’re going to go out to eat with Blair and his family, is that good, Jordan and Juliette?”

“That’s great. Did you hear that, Anna?” Jordan called out happily. 

“I’m standing right here. Of course I heard him,” Anna teased. 

Blair said, “Did you think of where we should meet?”

“How about Red Robin? Do they like that?” Jim suggested. 

“They love it. We’ll meet you then in ten minutes. Thanks for the invite, Jim.”

“You’re very welcome, Blair.”

They all went to their cars and drove off.

******************************

Jordan said, “I knew you would like Blair.”

“Oh did you? Well, what’s not to like? He seems like a good guy.”

Juliette asked, “Can I sit by Cason?”

“I swear they are so much alike, Dad. Did you know that their birthdays are the same day?”

“No, I didn’t know that. When is Anna’s birthday?” 

“A week after me. So we’re almost like twins too.”

Jim had to really work at it to keep from laughing. 

When they drove up, Juliette said, “Daddy, you never answered me. Can I sit by Cason?”

“Yes, you can. Now let’s get in and get a booth. We’ll get the round booth so we can all fit,” Jim said, planning as he walked.

******************************

Blair and his kids came walking up to the booth and said, “This is great. It’s big enough for all of us.”

Cason slid in next to Juliette and then Jordan slid in next to Anna. Jim and Blair smiled and found themselves next to each other. Jim was pleased as punch, but figured that Blair might not like it. 

Blair slid a card over to Jim and said, “This is how you can reach me, day or night. Do you have a card?”

Jim pulled one of his cards out of his wallet and passed it to Blair. Jim said, “This is the first time we’ve been out to eat in ages.”

Jordan said, “Dad, we went out last weekend with Grandpa.”

“I meant with friends, Jordan.”

“Oh, right. Wasn’t Anna great tonight, Blair?” Jordan asked. 

“She was and so were you, Jordan. You both did a beautiful job,” Blair answered. 

The waitress came up and took their drink orders and handed out the menus. Cason and Juliette were trying their reading out for size on the menu. 

Jim snickered and whispered, “I can’t believe how well she’s reading, now.”

Blair smiled and answered just as softly, “He loves teaching her. He talks about it every day.”

It was Jim’s turn to smile back at Blair and said, “She reads to me at night now. I love it. So relaxing.”

Jordan and Anna asked if they could get cheeseburgers. Then Cason and Juliette asked for the same thing. Jim and Blair decided they would eat the same thing as their children. When the waitress came back she got everyone’s order from each of the children and then got their dads’ order. 

After dinner came they all ate well, chatted up a storm and made plans for the following Sunday. Blair told them about a dinosaur museum that was opening that day. Blair figured it would be busy, but still nice to see it. 

Jim agreed and they decided they would meet at 1:00 and then have dinner at Red Robin afterwards. Blair looked as excited about it as the kids did and Jim was pleased about that. 

Once they got outside after paying the tab, Jim said, “We’ll see you Sunday at 1:00.”

“We’ll be there, Jim. Thank you for agreeing to meet us because I never get out with someone my own age.”

Jim threw back his head and laughed. “I wish we were the same age. But it was a nice thought.”

Blair laughed too and said, “I don’t know, you look pretty good for being an old man, then.”

Juliette laughed and said, “He’s not old, Blair. He just thinks he is. He won’t fall asleep like Grandpa does at the museum.”

Blair laughed again. “Night everyone. This was a great night. See you on Sunday.”

“Bye,” Jim, Jordan and Juliette called out at the same time.

******************************

They got into the SUV and Jordan said, “You like him don’t you?”

“As a matter of fact, I like Blair and the kids.”

“Dad, you know what I mean.”

“We’ll discuss it later, Jordan. Now, thank you for being so well behaved and polite while we were there. Makes my heart feel good when people like us.”

“Oh, Daddy, Blair likes you a lot. I could tell. Can you marry him?”

Jordan started laughing. 

“No, Juliette, we can’t get married. Now that’s enough about that. Tell me about your day at school.”

******************************

Cason got into their SUV and said, “I really like Jim, Daddy. Do you like him as much as I do?”

“Actually, I do, Cason. He seemed really nice. Down to earth and everything,” Blair stated. 

Anna smiled at her dad. “We could all tell you liked him, Dad. That’s nice. I wonder if he dates guys.”

“Anna, don’t say things like that in front of Cason.”

“Why not, Daddy. You did like him. I would like you two to get married.”

Anna burst out laughing and said, “They can’t get married, but they can date. When are you going to ask him out, Dad?”

“I don’t know if he liked me that much,” Blair added. 

“Dad, Dad, Dad. He really likes you. Anyone could see. Call him when you get home and ask him out on a date. He’s off on Tuesday. That’s tomorrow.”

“I know what tomorrow is, Anna. I just don’t want him to get mad and ruin our outing.”

“Call him tonight, I bet you anything he will say yes,” Anna promised. 

“Okay, I will. Thanks, kids. Cason, do you know that two men can date?”

Cason snickered and said, “Not really. But I’m happy for you. If you got married would we be one big family?”

“Let’s not talk about getting married quite yet, Cason.”

The drive home was pretty quiet. Everyone was thinking about Blair asking Jim out, including Blair.

******************************

Jim put Juliette in the tub and told Jordan to get his homework done. Then Jim went and put the video of the play on another cd. He did one for both of them, so they could play them right away. His dad would be so happy that Jim took the video because he was out with friends that night and couldn’t cancel.

Once he got Juliette ready for bed, Jim kissed her and said goodnight. The phone rang and Jim rushed out to answer it. It was Simon. Jim hated to hear if he was needed tonight. He would have to call Cathy to watch the kids. She was great, but he hated doing things at the last minute. If his dad was here it was different. 

Jim picked up the phone and said, “Hey, Simon. What’s up?”

“I know tomorrow is your day off, but I need you on a new case. You can have Saturday off instead, if that works.”

“That’s fine, Simon. I’ll be in as soon as I drop the kids off at school. Cathy will pick them up. I’ll see you in the morning. What case is it?” Jim asked. 

“A homicide and there is nothing to go on. You seem to have the inside track sometimes so I’m hoping you’ll work some Ellison magic.”

“Okay, see you tomorrow.”

Jim put the phone down and it rang right away, again. _Wow, I’m popular tonight. Too bad it couldn’t be Blair._

“Hello?”

“Hi, Jim, it’s me, Blair.”

“Well, hi. Is everything all right?”

“Oh yeah, everything is fine. Cason is sleeping and Anna is doing homework. What are you doing?” _Could you sound any dumber, Sandburg?_

Jim smiled and said, “Same thing as you. Jordan is doing homework and Juliette is sound asleep already too. What’s on your mind? I can tell something is bothering you.”

Blair cleared his throat and said, “I was wondering if you would like to go out tomorrow night. Just the two of us. For dinner and maybe dancing?”

“I would have loved to, but I have to work tomorrow. My boss just called right before you did. I’m off on Saturday now instead of Tuesday.”

“Well, how about Saturday. We could go to Sullivan’s Steak House and have a good dinner. What do you think?”

“I think that would be great, Blair. Thank you for asking me, making my life easier. I was trying to figure out how to ask you out. Was I that obvious?”

“No, I didn’t think either of us were, but the kids saw something I didn’t believe. So good, we’re on for Saturday. Can you call me this week just to talk?”

“Yeah, Blair, I can. Thanks again for the invite. I really like you and your kids.”

“I could tell about the kids. That’s half the battle, isn’t it?”

“True. Now, I need to get Jordan to bed. I’ll call in a few nights. Bye, Blair.”

“Bye, Jim.” 

Jim set his phone on his charger and smiled the entire time. He walked to Jordan’s room and asked, “Guess who just asked me out on a date?”

“Blair?”

“Yes, can you believe it?”

“Yeah, Dad, we all would believe it. You have a thing for him, we could tell.”

“Stop growing up so fast, Jordan.”

“Dad, do we still have to have a sitter? And if we do, could Blair bring his kids over too?” Jordan really needed this answered. 

“That’s a good idea. I realize you’re in fourth grade, but not old enough to watch your sister yet. I’ll ask Cathy to sit for us and I’ll tell Blair to bring his kids over here. Unless of course your grandfather is home, then he might watch all of you. We’ll see what he thinks about it. Now, you get ready for bed, Jordan. Give your old dad a hug.”

Jordan did hug him and then took off for the bathroom. 

Jim walked out and picked up the still charging phone and called Blair back. 

“Hello?” Blair answered. 

“Hey, I had a good idea, well Jordan had it, but I’m stealing it. How about you bring your two over on Saturday and they can stay with our sitter for the evening? Will that work?”

“Tell Jordan he’s got great ideas. Sounds like a plan to me. See you on Saturday.”

“Thanks, Blair.”

“For what?” Blair asked. 

“For just being here when I needed you. I have some important things to tell you about on Saturday, but it’ll keep.”

“See ya then.”

Jim put the phone down, smiling the entire time. _I wonder if someone could fall in love during one evening when it wasn’t even a date._

******************************

**Getting Together**

Blair really wished that Jim would call him and tell him what he had to say because Blair’s curiosity was going crazy. It was Thursday and Jim still hadn’t called. Maybe he had decided they were rushing things. _Figures, I would already be in love and he dumps me._

The kids were in bed and Blair was grading papers, as usual when the phone rang. Blair rushed to his phone and answered, “Hello?”

“Hi,” Jim said, softly and sounding fairly sexy for a phone call, in Blair’s eyes. 

“I thought maybe you had second thoughts.”

“Nah, I was solving a murder. I’m finished and I asked for Friday off too if you would like to make it Friday night.”

“Wow, solving a murder. That’s sounds pretty exciting. Before you tell me all about it, tell me what you had to tell me the other night,” Blair bossed. 

“Well, if I tell you-you have to promise you won’t drop me like a hot potato.”

“This is going to be good, I can tell, so spill the beans, Jim.”

“I have enhanced senses and I think you might be my Guide. I read up on it and I’m supposed to have a Guide to help me feel calm, happy, and secure and did I mention happy?” 

“Oh my God. You’re a Sentinel?” Blair almost yelled, knowing he shouldn’t have as soon as he yelled it. 

“You already know what I am? My senses are a little out of whack, but when I’m with you or talking with you I’m better. In fact, I’m great. I’ve been thinking about you and even that helps ground me. How do you know about this?”

“Jim, I did my studies on this and got my PhD in it. I never came across a full blown Sentinel, though. Do you have all five senses acting up?”

“Yes. I read a book by Sir Richard Burton, not the actor, but the explorer. He described all of my symptoms. I’ve been doing much better at work since I started practicing what he taught. But every now and then I still go off into a zone. I wish I could control some of the senses better than others.”

“I have so much to tell you, Jim. Do you really think I’m your Guide?”

“Yeah, Blair I do. When I’m with you, I’m calmer, happier and I can see farther, hear farther away and taste everything so well. I feel like I’m at the top of my game except for not being able to control some things while eating or listening to things at work, especially.”

“Jim, close your eyes and picture a set of radio dials. I want you to turn down the dial for each of your senses. Concentrate, don’t say a word. Just relax and find the dial. Once you do, you’ll be on the road to taking care of things yourself. Not that you won’t need me from time to time. Now, relax and find the dials.”

“It worked, Blair! I can’t believe it was something so easy. And how weird is it that both of us are widowers and have two children. It’s just odd, don’t you think?”

“Yes, it is odd, but at the same time good. We’ll do some tests this weekend while you’re off to see how good a Sentinel you are. I have a feeling that you’re a strong one.”

“Today, no one could find anything at the murder site and I scanned out the room for smell first. It was a woman’s perfume, which I recognized and told Simon, my captain about it. Then I did touch and found some fibers on the floor, which I called them on right away. Then with my sight, I found four different things that we were able to start making a case with. Simon keeps telling me I’m like a human computer/lab and he doesn’t understand but doesn’t want to complain at the same time. It was an excellent day.”

“I’m so glad he understands. That’s half the battle. You need to have someone working with you at the station. I wish I could become a paid consultant for them. Then we could figure out things like you never have.”

“Blair, you work at the university. You’re a teacher, why would you give that up for this?”

“Because I’ve waited my entire life for this and I don’t want anything to happen to you without your Guide.”

“You mean to tell me that if I could talk the Commissioner and Simon into it, you would give up teaching?” 

“Not entirely. I would teach on days you’re off. Like Tuesday. I could have just one or two classes on Tuesday to keep up with my Journals at Rainier and also have some contact with the students. Jim, I would be getting the best of both worlds.”

“I’m going to talk to Simon tonight. I’ll call you back. Do you have to give notice?” 

“Jim, Jim, Jim. Stop worrying. I only teach two classes a week, so I can do them both on Tuesday. I’ll get it all straightened out when the time comes. Now, call Simon and see what he thinks about it. Make sure and tell him I have two majors. First one is Anthropology and the second one is Psychology.”

I’ll call you back.” Jim couldn’t believe his luck was so good tonight. 

Jim couldn’t dial Simon’s phone number fast enough. 

“What?”

“Hi Simon, you know how you know that I have an edge on finding things out about crime scenes and things like that?”

“Yeah?”

“Well, come to find out, I’m a Sentinel and I met my Guide three days ago. He’s got a degree in Anthropology, which makes him an excellent choice for watching bad guys or good guys. And a degree in Psychology. He is my Guide and wants to work as a Paid Consultant at the station.”

“Let me call the Commissioner. He could help you run even better, am I understanding this correctly?”

“Yes, he would be helping me a great deal. Simon, this is going to work, I swear to you.”

“I’ll call you back. It may take a while for me to convince him that it’s the way to go. This is a secret, right?”

“Yes, Simon. It’s a big secret.”

“I’ll call you.”

Jim dialed Blair’s number and said, “He’s calling the Commissioner and finding out when you can start. I’ll ask him about money and stuff later. Although it might not be enough money.”

“I’ve got a lot of money in savings. We had a big policy on both of us so when my wife passed, I had a lot in savings. Why I’ve waited to get another house is beyond me.”

“Don’t feel lonely, we live with my dad. He’s out tonight playing poker. I can’t wait to tell him the news.”

“Maybe down the line we could buy a house together. Speaking of wives, tell me about yours.”

“I have a lot of guilt about her death. I told her that I didn’t love her like I should and I wanted to take the kids and leave. She hadn’t paid attention to me in years. But she got very angry when I told her that I might date a man. When she left the house she was on her way to see a lawyer for a divorce. She probably would have taken the kids away. She was very angry. Why, I don’t know, because I know she didn’t love me.” 

“I’m sorry, Jim. My story is a lot like that too. She died of cancer but she was going to be with someone else and leave the kids to me. Then she found out she had cancer and asked if she could die at home. What could I say, right?”

“Oh, wow, that must have been really tough, Blair. I’m sorry too. We’ve got a chance at starting a new life from the beginning. Let’s do this right.”

“What about Grandparents from your wife’s side?”

“Carolyn’s parents didn’t like me and liked the children even less. So they have had no contact at all. But they have my dad, who is crazy about them. How about you?”

“Well, my mom is nuts about the kids too. Sarah had no family at all. She was adopted and her adoptive parents died young. My mom comes now and then to see us, but not too much.”

“Well at least they all have one good grandparent they can count on.” Jim heard his phone beep. “Simon is calling. Call you back.”

“Hi, Simon. Must be no if you’re calling this soon.”

“Actually, he surprised me. He said he knew you had some type of advantage, he just couldn’t figure it out. He wants to hire Blair for Paid Consultant but he’ll have to work with everyone in Major Crimes. If it’s just you, it’ll look strange. The Commissioner will pay 35,000.00 a year with 401K, sick time, dental and medical. Ask him if that works and if it does, we’ll wait until he can start. As far as I’m concerned, he could start tomorrow.”

“I’ll call him and fill you in in the morning, Simon. Thanks for everything.”

“You’re off tomorrow, Saturday and Sunday, Jim. Did you forget already?” Simon laughed into the phone. 

“Yes, I did. Thanks, I’ll call you tomorrow and let you know what his plans are. Thank you again, Simon.”

“Night, Jim.”

Jim got off the phone and William walked into the house. He smiled at Jim and said, “You look like something is going on, what?”

“Dad, first of all, I have a date tomorrow night. And it’s a man. I hope you’ll understand my feelings but if you don’t, we’ll move. I was thinking about getting our own place anyhow. Also, he knows about Sentinels and I think he’s my Guide. No, I don’t think, I know.”

William hugged his nervous son. “That’s great news about a date. I don’t mind who it is, Jimmy. I just want you to be happy. And as far as moving to another house, I’m going to move. That way you have room for a roommate if you’d like. The kids are used to the house and it suits them. I think it’s great that you have finally found your Guide. So I take it, he’s single?”

“He’s a widower also. He has two children and our children are best friends in school. It’s like _fate_ had a hand in everything. “

“Is that who you were talking to, Jimmy?”

“No, he’s going to become a paid Consultant for the station house. He doesn’t want me to be alone at work. On Tuesdays he’ll teach two classes at Rainier and the rest of the time will be at the station. 

“Well, thankfully, this is a five bedroom house. So the children can each have their own room. And you and your new friend could be down here in the master bedroom. I liked it being separate. You will too.”

“His name is Blair Sandburg, Dad. I can’t wait for you to meet him. I’m going to ask Cathy to babysit for all four kids on Friday night while we go on a date.”

“Jimmy, let me watch the kids. I’d love to spend time with Blair’s kids too. Just take your time and they can sleep over if they want.”

“Thanks, Dad. That would be great. I have to call him and tell him the news.”

William smiled as he listened to his son making plans for work and play with Blair Sandburg. William was so happy for both of them.

******************************

**The Big Phone Call**

On Friday, Jim was driving William nuts. “Jimmy, why don’t you start your date early? School’s out in an hour. He can bring Anna and Cason over then. You can start with a movie and then dinner. And then maybe to his house for some alone time.”

“Wow, Dad. You’re being super supportive. I’m not complaining, I’m just trying to understand why you’re accepting this so easily.”

“I want you to be happy, Jimmy. That’s all. No more, no less.”

“Thanks, Dad. Before I forget, what did you mean when you said you’re moving?” 

“I found a nice house near the Senior Center where I work part time. I can’t wait to move. I was going to ask you to move me this weekend. On Saturday, I mean. Then the house will be all yours.”

“Seriously? Wow, I can pay you Dad. I have a lot of money in savings.”

“Nope, this is your gift from me. I want you to be happy and the kids to be happy. They are when they’re here.”

Jim hugged his dad very hard. “Thank you, Dad. You’re so good for them. I love you.”

“I love you too, Jimmy. Now, call Blair.” 

Jim picked up his phone and called Blair. 

“Hi, I wondered if you could bring the kids over here early. My dad thinks I should take you out to celebrate the new job and our new life. I thought a movie and dinner would be nice. And anything else you would like.”

“Okay. I’ll bring Anna and Cason over as soon as they get home. I talked to the Chancellor and she said that would be fine. That’s enough hours to keep up my appearances there and still be able to get university perks. So I can start Monday.”

“That’s great news. Thank you for doing this, Blair. Now, I need to tell Simon you’ll be there on Monday. See you in a little while.”

“Bye, Jim.”

Jim then dialed Simon.

“This better be good news…”

“It is, he’ll start on Monday. He has Tuesdays off and Sundays off. If that’s all right with you.”

“That sounds perfect, Jim. Now have a good weekend and we’ll see you both on Monday.”

Jim plugged his cell in again. Then he went in to finish doing the laundry. Every now and then it was nice to be grounded by everyday life. This was one of those times. He loved his kids and his life, but now it was going to be better. Especially in this big house. And if things did go well, Blair could move in with Jim. _Try not to push him away with all your planning._

******************************

**The Big Date**

When Blair arrived at Jim’s new home, (because now it was Jim’s home), he rang the doorbell and was so excited he could hardly stand it. 

William opened the door and said, “Why hello, Anna, Cason and Blair. Jim has told me all about you. Plus I watched the video of the play. I liked how Jim put the little ones in it too. Come in and make yourself at home. Come on kids, follow me. I’ll take you to Jordan and Juliette’s rooms.”

Blair said, “Am I too early? I thought he told me to come early.”

“He did. He knows you’re here already, I’m sure.”

“That’s true. It’s hard to fool him, isn’t it?” Blair asked, jokingly. 

Jim came walking down the stairs and said, “Hello, Blair. You look great.”

“You do too, Jim. Where are we going first?”

“There is an exhibit downtown that I thought you might like. It’s from the Navajo Tribe in New Mexico. Some of it is literally breathtaking. I think you’ll like it.”

“I’ve been wanting to go, but no one wanted to go with me. Not that I couldn’t go alone, but I wanted to share it with someone. Thank you for thinking of this. It’s so much better than a movie. William, I told my kids to be really good for you; if they aren’t, I expect you to take care of it. They’re normally very well behaved. But you never know.”

“I’m sure they’ll be fine, Blair. Now you two get lost. I’ve got everything handled. Have fun, don’t come home until very late. I made up the bed for Anna in Juliette’s room and one for Cason in Jordan’s room. They’re going to be set until tomorrow.”

“Thanks, again, Dad.”

“Get lost you two. I’ve got this handled.”

They walked out the door snickering because they were acting like they never left their kids. 

Once in Jim’s SUV, Blair asked, “Do you go out a lot?”

“No, I never do unless it’s for work. But my dad has been watching over them for years. He’s the best. He wasn’t when I was a kid, but he sure made up for it now.”

“I’m glad. Now, tell me more about the exhibit. Where did you hear about it?” Blair asked. 

“Someone at work mentioned it to someone else. And I was listening when I shouldn’t have been. But it worked out, because you wanted to go. It’s perfect. At first I thought you might think I was weird.”

“Because you’re showing me a great time? You are so cute. Do you hear that a lot, Jim?”

“I never hear that. Ever. So thank you. I’m glad you think I’m cute.” Jim smiled sweetly as he pulled into the parking lot of the exhibit. 

Jim paid for them to get in and they were off. Blair was amazed at the beauty and love that went into most of the Navajo items on display. 

Blair looked at Jim and asked, “Are you bored?”

“Not even, Blair. This is very relaxing to me. Enjoy and stop worrying about what I think. Instead just pretend you’re back in the time when some of these things were made.”

Blair was in awe of everything. Jim didn’t rush him through, like Blair thought he would. In fact, Blair had to go back a couple of times and see what Jim was doing. They spent about two hours there and Jim finally said, “I’m getting hungry, are you?”

“Are we going to Sullivan’s Steak House?”

“Yes, we are,” Jim answered. 

“Then, I’m starving. They have the best steaks in town, don’t you agree?”

“I do, Blair. I think we’ll beat dinner rush because we’re early. Which is sort of nice. I’m ready to leave if you are. But if you’d like to stay that’s fine too.”

“I’m hungry. In my excitement for the date tonight, I forgot to eat lunch.”

“I did the same thing, Blair. Some of those rugs and blankets were so beautiful. I looked very closely and saw the hard work that went into making them. It wasn’t done in a day, that’s for sure.”

“I bet with your eyesight, you could really see how much work went into them. More than anyone else could.”

“I loved seeing the Travois. It was very interesting. I didn’t know that they did dog sledding in New Mexico. Even the dog sleds were put together with great care and sturdiness.” Jim was enjoying talking about the place with Blair. 

“Did you see the display about the Navajo Tacos? I know how to make them. I learned once while in Gallup, New Mexico. Would you like to have one someday, Jim?” 

“That’s what made me hungry,” Jim answered, laughing. 

“It really was a fantastic exhibit. Thank you, Jim. And the money they take in goes to the tribe, not to some CEO of a big corporation.”

“You are most welcome, Blair. Here we are at Sullivan’s Steak House. Man, I’m hungry.”

“Me too. Let’s get in there,” Blair suggested. 

Jim told staff it was for the two of them and they were placed in a cozy booth first thing. They looked over the menu and a waiter came up and asked them if they wanted wine with dinner.

Jim said, “Blair, you get some wine. I’m the designated driver tonight. I want you to enjoy a nice drink of wine with your steak.”

“I will. And next time it’ll be your turn to have some.” Blair proceeded to tell the waiter exactly what he wanted. And Jim ordered Dr. Pepper, which made Blair laugh. 

“Hey, I like it. I can’t help it.”

The waiter walked off to get their drinks and Blair said, “I’m getting the Filet Mignon. It’s the best in town here.”

“I agree. How do you take yours?” Jim asked. 

Blair licked his lips and said, “Medium rare. How do you eat yours?”

“The same. Another thing we have in common. We’re both widowers, we each have a son and daughter, we both work for the police department and we’re crazy about each other already. See, we have a lot in common.”

“You know what? I really like how you say exactly how you feel about me. Thank you. It’s nice to know that we’re getting along so well. I am crazy about you and your kids. Thank you for the date, Jim.”

“No problem. Juliette told me she wants us to get married so we can be one big family.”

Blair laughed. “Cason said the same thing. These five year olds are so cute, aren’t they?”

“You gotta love them.”

The waiter came back and took their order and Jim and Blair had the best time just talking about anything and everything. And not once did either of them worry about the kids. They knew they were in good hands.

Once they were back in the SUV, Jim said, “I don’t want to go home yet. I was hoping we could make out like teens.”

“Let’s go to my house. I don’t have a bedroom but we can make out on the sofa.”

“Sounds good to me. Point me in the right direction.” 

Within minutes they were at Blair’s little house. Thank goodness Blair had cleaned it all up before they left.

Jim held Blair’s hand all the way to the door. Blair was so in love with him. And this was only their first date. 

“Come on in. It’s very small, but home for now. I need to look for a house for us. That way I would have a bedroom, if you know what I mean?”

“I do know, but don’t buy one yet. I’d like to see if we hit it off between dating and work and maybe would like to live together. Our kids like each other, right?” Jim asked. 

“They sure do. Sit down while I get us each a Dr. Pepper. I like it too,” Blair teased. 

Blair got them each a drink and they set them on the table on top of coasters. Blair turned all but one light down so they would be more in the mood. 

Jim made the first move on the sofa. He started to kiss Blair like he hadn’t kissed anyone in years. Then he remembered he hadn’t. He found himself so attached to this man, that he had to leave a mark on him. 

“Hey, Jim I’d like to start work on Monday without a hickey.”

“Sorry, Blair. I couldn’t help myself. Your skin tastes so good,” Jim admitted. 

“Well, then suck lower. I really don’t want to walk around with a hickey on my first day. Let me take my shirt off and have after any part you feel like, other than my neck.”

And Jim did exactly that. Jim was so turned on, he was afraid he would come in his pants. But he noticed that Blair was making all the proper noises for someone that was so turned on they couldn’t see straight. Jim then undid Blair’s button on his Dockers. 

Blair started to come out of his sexual haze and said, “I think you’re doing a little too much for our first date. Why don’t we calm down a little bit.”

“Okay…” Jim buttoned Blair back up and tried to get his own breathing back under control. “Can I kiss you?”

“By all means, Jim. My lips are yours.”

They started kissing and then Jim slid his tongue into Blair’s mouth sampling every bit of Sandburg taste he could. 

Blair pulled away and said, “You know what? Kissing is too much. Jesus, you’re turning me on like no one ever has. I wish I had a bed. I would fuck your brains out.”

Jim smiled down at Blair and answered, “I’m looking forward to that day, Blair. I think I should go home and take a cold shower. No masturbating when I’m not there.”

Blair threw his head back and laughed. “This was the best date I’ve ever been on, Jim. I wish we could have done more.”

Jim pushed Blair back, opened up his pants once again, pulled them down along with his underwear and took Blair’s cock into his warm, inviting mouth. He started sucking very hard and Blair came just like that. No notice and Jim almost choked. He licked Blair clean and then pulled his underwear back up along with his Dockers. “How was that for more, Blair?”

“Oh God, I’m so wasted now. Give me a moment and I’ll show you how well I can suck cock.”

“Hopefully, you mean only my cock, right?” Jim asked. 

“Of course only yours. I’m crazy about you, man.”

Jim kissed Blair softly and said, “You have a wonderful cock.”

“It came with my body, go figure.”

Jim snickered and hoped that Blair would be revived soon. Jim was ready to pop in his pants. Blair rubbed Jim’s cock through his pants and said, “Someone is ready for action. All right, big boy, give it to me.”

Blair undid Jim’s Dockers and pulled them and Jim’s underwear down. Blair noticed that they were the same size. Blair thought that was cool. It was like they were made for each other. Blair leaned Jim back into the sofa and took the gorgeous cock into his mouth and began to deep throat the man. Jim came so fast that it even surprised Jim. 

Blair licked his cock and put his clothing back on him and said, “Wow, are we good at this or what?”

“I usually last a little longer than that.”

“I wasn’t complaining, Jim. You taste so great. I know I shouldn’t tell you this, but I think I’m in love with you. If you want out you better leave now. I’m totally taken with you. You are mine and I am yours forever.”

Jim kissed him again. Both men tasted their own come. “I love you too, Blair.”

Blair looked up at the clock and said, “Oh, holy shit. It’s after midnight. Your dad is going to be exhausted.”

“He’ll be asleep in his bedroom with the door open. Don’t forget that we have the dinosaur museum at 1:00 on Sunday. So I guess we should get some sleep and rest up for the weekend.”

“I have to get my kids first,” Blair reminded Jim. 

“That’s true. Hard to take them to a museum if you don’t have them. Sunday will be a fun day.”

“Thank you for our date tonight, Jim. I needed this like you would never know. Come on, take me to your house so I can carry Cason out to the car and make Anna walk being all sleepy. She’ll be in a great mood.”

Blair locked his door after they walked out and climbed into Jim’s SUV. The ride home was quiet. Finally Blair couldn’t take it anymore.

“Jim, did I push you to far tonight?”

“Did you forget the part about me saying I loved you?”

“Oh good, you really meant it. I’m so crazy about you. I hope my children never find out what a slut I am.”

“They won’t get anything from me,” Jim teased. 

When they drove into Jim’s garage, Blair was almost sad. Jim picked up on that right away.

“Don’t worry Blair, this isn’t the only time we’re going to be doing this. I had a fantastic time and can’t wait for our next date. But I want to get a room at the hotel for that. We’re going to fuck if it kills us both.”

Blair laughed and said, “Let’s get in the house so your dad doesn’t think we’re doing it in the car.”

They walked in, Jim pulled Blair into his arms one last time and kissed him. “Let’s go upstairs and get your kiddos.”

Blair followed him noticing how nice the house was. Jim pointed to his room and said, “This will be Anna’s room when we decide to take the next step. I’m going to be downstairs so each of the kids would get their own room.”

Blair whispered, “This is a little like Yours, Mine and Ours. Could they be ours?”

“I like that idea. Ours has a nice ring to it. Now you grab Anna and I’ll carry Cason.”

Blair did exactly that. Anna woke up easily and asked, “Did you have a good time?”

“Yes, I’ll tell you about it in the car.”

Jim met them in the hall carrying a dead to the world child. He was even snoring a little bit, making both men smile. 

They walked outside and Jim got Cason in his seat and Anna buckled in for the ride home. 

“See you on Sunday, Jim. We can’t wait for the museum.”

“I can’t either, Anna. Sleep well tonight, honey.”

Blair slid his arm around Jim’s waist and pulled him in for his last kiss. Then Jim smiled as Blair got into his car. Once they drove off, Jim headed up to the house and saw his dad standing there in the doorway. 

“Sorry, Dad.”

“I was awake, Jimmy. I wanted to ask if you could move me in to my new place tomorrow. I’ve got the place and wanted to get settled before next week. Then you can have the house to yourself and the kids.”

“What time tomorrow, Dad?”

“About noon?”

“Noon would be fine. How about I ask Blair to come over here and watch all the kids while I get you moved in.”

“That would be great, Jim. Thank you for doing this with me.”

“Wait a minute, what do you mean, doing this with me? Isn’t Steven helping?”

“No, he’s out of the country, Jim. Just you and me.”

“Let me call Blair really fast.”

******************************

“Missed me already?”

“As a matter of fact, I did. Could you possibly help me move my dad into his new home tomorrow and he can watch the kiddos?”

“Oh, that’s a good idea. He’s too old to move things. Don’t tell him I said that.”

“We’re going to start at noon.”

“We’ll be there at about 11:30. See you tomorrow, oh, I guess that would be today.”

Jim snickered as he hung up. “Did you hear, Dad? You are going to watch the kiddos and we’ll do all the lifting. It’ll be great.”

“Thank you, Jimmy. You’re so good to me and I appreciate it.” 

Jim locked up while William told him about his new place and what he would need for it. “By the way, Jim, I ordered you a new King size bedroom set and mattress and box springs for your new room. You’re going to love that room. It’s just been painted and the drapes are new.”

“When did you order a bed?” Jim asked. 

“Two months ago. I ordered it when I bought my new place and knew that you would be able to have a room down here to yourself. And if you want to entertain, so be it.” 

“Thank you, Dad.”

Jim suddenly felt very tired.

Jim walked up the stairs, washed up, brushed his teeth and crawled into his double sized bed that would be perfect for Anna, with the bathroom off of it, if they ever moved in. Jim was going to have a new king size big boy bed. Jim snickered to himself and went right to sleep.

******************************

**Moving Day**

Jim got up first thing in the morning to get ready for a day of moving his dad over to the new place. He walked down the stairs and smelled the coffee aroma and it made his mouth water. Sometimes he loved these senses. 

The kids were sitting at the table talking with grandpa about his big move. Jim smiled and realized they were going to miss their grandpa a lot. 

“So you already told them about the move?” Jim asked. 

“Yes, they were sad but I told them I was leaving because you needed some privacy back in your life. Right, kids?”

Jordan smiled and said, “We’re going to miss him like crazy, but his new place has three bedrooms and he said we could come and stay anytime.”

“I wanted him to stay, but grandpa only wants what’s best for us. So I won’t cry,” Juliette said. 

“Remember, Juliette, you’ll be able to come and stay at my house anytime. Right?”

“Yes, Grandpa.”

William leaned down and gave her a kiss on the top of her head and said, “Well, time for a shower. Jim, could I talk to you for a moment?”

Jim followed him out of the kitchen and wondered what was up. 

“I wanted to get the house all set up so that the kids could come and stay with me tonight. Then I could take them for the trip to the dinosaur museum. That way it gives you and Blair some time to relax and be alone. You can break in the new bed.”

Jim blushed. “Dad, is the bed coming today?”

“Yes, today. About 1:00. So I need all furniture out by then. And I’ll wash up your new sheets for you while you’re gone,” William said. 

“So we’re only moving your bedroom set, right?”

“Yes, everything else is already in it. Oh, and my boxes that I packed, they have to go too. It’s a small three bedroom house all on one floor. Perfect for me. Now that Sally’s retired I have to do it myself.”

“Why don’t you get someone to come in once a week? I would gladly pay for that, Dad.”

“I’ll think about it. Don’t say anything about the change of plans for tomorrow in case Blair doesn’t agree on it.”

“Good thinking, Dad. I don’t know what I would do without you. The kids are going to miss you so much. Hell, I’m going to miss you so much.” Jim pulled his dad into a hug. 

“Don’t get all mushy, Jim. I’m only moving a block away,” William said, laughing. 

“Really? That’s great. I like the idea of having you close by.”

“Go finish your coffee and have something to eat. I’m taking a shower. Jim, everything is going to work out fine. I believe this to be true.”

“I’m going to go and talk to the kids. See you in a few minutes.” Jim walked into the kitchen, made himself some toast and eggs and sat with his children while he ate. They all talked about the move. Then Jim told them that grandpa was only going to be a block away. They seemed much happier after hearing that. Once Jim was done, he cleaned up the kitchen and told the kids to get ready for the day. They shot up the stairs to get showered and dressed. Jordan called the first shower and Juliette told him he wasn’t fair.

Jim smiled to himself, _This is a pretty damn good life I have here._

When Blair arrived at 11:30, everyone in the house looked ready for the day. Jim opened up the door and smiled. “Good to see all of you.”

Anna smiled and said, “It’s good to see you too, Jim. Thank you for letting us stay with Grandpa last night.”

Blair looked at her oddly and asked, “You call him Grandpa?”

Cason was bouncing a lot like Blair did. “He told us we could call him that. Is that all right, Jim?”

“It’s fine, Cason. Come on in. Blair, would you like a cup of coffee?”

“I really would _love_ a cup of coffee. Thank you. Hi, Jordan and Juliette. Ready for a day of hanging out with my two?”

Juliette was thrilled, you could tell. “Hi, Cason. Let’s go upstairs and build something with my Legos.”

Cason ran right behind her up the stairs. Jim smiled at the retreating forms. 

Jordan said, “Would you like to play PlayStation with me, Anna?”

“Thought you would never ask. I’m going to beat you today, I can feel it.”

Jim and Blair both laughed. Then Blair followed Jim and William into the kitchen. 

“How are you today, William?”

“I’m great, thank you. While we have a few spare minutes could I ask you something?”

Blair answered, “You can ask me anything.”

William nodded his head in agreement and said, “I want you to leave the kids with me at the new house tonight and then I could take them to the museum tomorrow, leaving time for you to spend with Jim. I wanted you two to have some time alone. What do you say?”

“I say that would be fine to keep them overnight, but we’ll go to the museum together. Will that work? I’d like to see it too.”

William looked happy. “Deal. We’ll have them spend the time with me all night and then we’ll go as a family tomorrow. I like the new plan. I hope you don’t mind me going along, Blair.”

“Not at all, William. The kids told me they are calling you Grandpa already. Thank you for being so good to them. They’re not used to that type of attention. My mother only comes about once a year.”

“Maybe she’ll come soon and meet Jim,” William guessed. 

“Maybe so. I’ll call her next week and tell her about my new job. She’s not going to be thrilled. She was an original flower child, so she doesn’t like cops. Calls them pigs. Get that look off your face, Jim. She’s going to love you.”

“Blair, why don’t we take my Dad’s bed apart and get ready to move it over. Dad, why don’t you ask the kiddos if they want to have a sleepover? Do they need sleeping bags?”

“There are two twin beds in each spare room. So they each have a bed. I even did them up nice. I went to the toy store and got things for them to play with and got a PlayStation for Jordan and Cason’s room. I figured they could all take turns playing.”

“Dad, how long have you had this house?”

“About two months. But I didn’t get it ready to move into until two days ago. All I need is my bedroom set and I’m set. We’re going to watch some movies while they are there too. It’s going to be great. Now let me go and ask the kids if this is okay with them.”

William walked up the stairs while Jim and Blair went into his room to dismantle his bed. They started taking the mattress off and both Jim and Blair could hear the excitement going on upstairs. 

“I take it they are okay with a sleepover,” Jim kidded. 

“I’m so glad that they already knew each other. They were best friends before all this happened, so it’s been easy on all of them.”

The two men grabbed the box spring and set it up against the wall by the mattress. Then they began getting all the screws out and within 15 minutes, they were done. 

“Is William’s house far from here?”

“He said it’s a block away. He wanted to give me privacy, but not too much.” Jim and Blair both laughed. 

William walked in and said, “Boy, you two are fast. Did you notice I put all my things in boxes?”

“Yeah, what time did you get up today, Dad?”

“About 4:00. I might take a small nap while you guys move me over there. I’ll just relax in the recliner and I’ll be fine.”

“Now, what is the address of this house and where are the keys?” Jim asked. 

William handed him his new keys and then wrote down the address. Jim put both in his pocket. 

“We’re going to rent a truck to load this up in. We’ll be back.”

“Oh, Jimmy, I got a truck-it’s out front. They brought it this morning and we just have to take it back when we’re finished.”

“In that case, we’re going to get busy. Go sit in the recliner, close your eyes and rest a little.”

Within 30 minutes they had everything packed into the truck. Jim found out where they had to take the truck back to and Blair followed in his SUV so they would have a car.

******************************

After they returned the truck, Jim smiled over at Blair and said, “Did you want to spend the night with me tonight?”

“Oh yeah. That’s a great idea. I’m happy we got William’s bed all set up and ready for him. I think he could have unpacked for himself,” Blair teased. 

“He’s doing so much for us, I wanted him to be able to just move in and relax.”

“Why don’t we pick up Wonder Burger for everyone? It can be early dinner.”

“I love Wonder Burger. You don’t have to ask me twice.”

“They have great salads.” Blair started laughing when he saw the look on Jim’s face. 

“You get a salad at Wonder Burger?”

“Stop teasing me. Be nice or I won’t spend the night.”

“Maybe I’ll have a salad too,” Jim said. 

“Good comeback, Jim. Wait a minute, there is no furniture in your new bedroom. How can I spend the night?”

“There will be by the time we get there. He said he’d have the room ready. I never question my dad. He’s usually correct.”

They picked up the Wonder Burger meals and headed for the house. 

“Oh, look the delivery truck is just leaving. Terrific timing, huh?”

“Yeah, Blair, it is. Now, let’s get lunch in there for the kiddos and my dad.”

When they walked in the kids were coming down the stairs. They all hugged both men and Jordan said, “Grandpa just said he was going to look for something for early dinner. We love Wonder Burger.”

“So do we,” Anna remarked.

They all walked into the kitchen for a nice early dinner. Once they were done and the kitchen cleaned up, William asked, “Do you want to see your new bedroom set. I do hope you’ll like it. I suddenly realized that it’s not something you should let the other person pick out. I wasn’t thinking.”

“I would love to see it. Kids, have you seen it yet?”

“Yes!” they all shouted together. Jim smiled and said, “Then I’ll just show it to Blair.”

William led the way as if Jim didn’t know where it was. He opened the door and Jim smiled. It was a gorgeous bedroom set, not to mention how pretty the bedspread was. The room was massive. Jim had forgotten how big it was. He turned to his dad and hugged him hard. “It looks beautiful, Dad. I love the entire room. Thank you for being my dad.”

“You are most welcome. Blair, will you run home and packs a bag for the kids to go to my place?”

“Already did, William. Their bags are in the car. I’ll tell them to grab them.”

“I want you and Jim to have a great night alone. And remember that I can babysit anytime.”

Blair hugged him next. Blair couldn’t believe how accepting this man was. Thank God for that. 

Blair went to the bottom of the stairs and called Anna’s name. She came running to see what was up. 

“I need you and Cason to get your bags so you’re all ready to go to Grandpa’s house for the night.” 

Anna called out for Cason and the two of them went to get their bags.

Jim smiled at his dad and Jim said, “We got your bedroom all set up too. New sheets, washed and ready to sleep on. Then I made pancakes for breakfast. All you have to do in the morning is heat them up. And I also made scrambled eggs with ham. You don’t have to do too much. We got milk, orange juice, popcorn and some juices for watching the movies with. If you get too tired Dad, please call us.”

“They are good kids, Jimmy. Don’t worry so much. You and Blair have a good evening off. Now, let me grab the kids and we’ll be out of your hair.”

William called all the kids and Jordan and Juliette came down carrying their bags. They were all excited to get going. Anna and Cason grabbed their bags and they all went to the garage to join the others. William waved as he closed the garage door. 

Blair looked at Jim and asked, “Whatever will we do all night?”

Jim moved up close and said, “I say we make out in the living room and work our way up to the bedroom.”

Blair joined him in the living room and they immediately went to town. Before long, Jim said, “Fuck this, bedroom it is.”

Blair snickered as he followed Jim into the room. Jim grabbed his phone on the way and called his dad. “Dad, are you sure you don’t need anything?”

“I’m sure, Jimmy. Now have fun. We’re not coming back. Don’t worry.” And just like that, William hung up the phone. But not before Jim heard him laughing. 

“He said they’re doing well and we can go about our business. You look good enough to eat.”

Jim had condoms and lube so he went up and got the bag out of his room. And they were off and running. Thank God. 

Later that night, they were lying in bed, watching the news, while cuddling. 

Blair almost whispered, “Jim, can we talk about the new job. Are you sure I’m right for this? I’m starting to get nervous. I don’t mean to be, but as the time gets nearer, I’m getting scared.”

“I don’t know why you’re worried, you’re going to do a great job. I’m not worried at all. I have an enormous amount of faith in you. You won’t let me down. I’d bet money on it.” He kissed Blair and felt the heat building up again.

******************************

**William’s House**

William got up at his usual 7:00 to find all the kids up and reading books, quietly. 

“Who would like pancakes and scrambled eggs for breakfast?” William asked. 

“I’m starving,” Cason said, dramatically. 

“I’m hungry too,” Juliette said. 

“We’ll all eat, Grandpa,” Jordan said. 

All four walked into the kitchen and sat around the table. William heated the oven to heat up breakfast, while he set the table, put butter and syrup on the table and then plates and forks. William noticed that Jim made enough for an army which had made him smile. But then again, they might eat a lot. They might be little bottomless pits. 

“Grandpa, do you need help?” Anna asked. 

“If you could put napkins on the table that would be great. They’re on the counter over by the sink. It’s almost time to eat.”

“I’m starving. The kitchen smells so good,” she said as she put the napkins next to each plate. 

William pulled everything out of the oven and set it on the hot pads on the table. 

“When we’re all done with breakfast, we’ll take turns taking a shower and then we’ll watch a movie until your dads get here.”

William cleaned up the kitchen with Anna and Jordan while the little ones waited at the table.

******************************

**The Museum**

Jim and Blair made love first thing in the morning and then made each other breakfast. The morning was looking great already. Once they showered and got ready, they headed over to William’s house. 

“Thanks for the nice evening, Jim.”

“No problem, you helped, you know?”

“That is true. I hope we can get together again, soon.”

“I do too. The idea of sleeping alone now is terribly troubling. I like your warmth on my body. Well, here we are, so I guess we’ll just make plans as it comes, right?”

“Jim, don’t make it sound like I won’t see you again. For God’s sake, we’re going out this afternoon and then we should go out for dinner with your dad. He deserves a treat.”

“You’re right, Blair. I’ll tell him later. I can’t wait to see this museum.”

They got out and the kids all came out running. Jim and Blair both beamed with happiness. The four of them didn’t seem any worse for wear. Thank goodness for that. 

William opened the door and said, “We’re going to have to take two SUV’s. And I promised the kids I would go with Jimmy the way there and ride with Blair the way home. Is that all right with you guys?”

“Sounds great, William. Thank you for keeping them last night. It’s been so long since I went on two dates in a row.”

“I was glad to do it. I think the kids had fun,” William said. 

“I had fun,” Cason said, happily. 

Not to be outdone by Cason, Juliette said, “I had a blast. Grandpa is so nice to all of us. Even Jordan and Anna said that.”

Jim looked at his dad and saw the look of love on his face. William was so proud of all the kids. 

“I think Grandpa should ride with Blair on the way there, because on the way back, Blair is going to his house. So it would be out of his way. Is that okay, kids?”

All of them yelled, “Yes!”

William smiled and said, “Let’s all run to the bathroom before we leave.” The kids all ran into the house and used the bathroom, one at a time. When they were done, it was William’s turn.

William went with Blair, happily, hoping to get to know this nice young man better. In the meantime, Jim followed them in his SUV with the kids. 

William and Blair talked nonstop on the way and William knew why Jim was so crazy about him. He was sure that Blair was one of the nicest people he had ever met. 

When they parked at the front of the parking lot, Jim got out and said, “We’ll just wait until it’s open.”

They all visited for the next half hour. And the parking lot filled up so fast, Blair was really glad that Jim talked them into going early. 

At noon, it opened and Jim paid for everyone, even though William tried to. Blair gave up while he could. 

They walked into the huge building and saw the gigantic dinosaurs. They were life size, so it was unbelievable. Cason asked Blair to carry him and Juliette asked Jim to carry her. 

“It must scare them a little. That didn’t enter my brain at all,” Jim said. 

“Same here, Jim. But the two older ones are loving it. Cason, look at the Triceratops. Do you see them up ahead, Juliette?”

“Yes, Blair, I see them. They’re so cool. Maybe I could walk for a little while, Daddy.” Jim set her down and watched as Blair set Cason down too.

The kids all enjoyed the different displays. They even had posters that you could touch that let you know how the dinosaur’s skin really felt. Jim was loving that part. His tactile senses were fantastic that day. They stayed for four hours and then the kids started saying they were starving. 

“Why don’t we stop at Red Robin for dinner? Is that okay with you, William?” 

“That would be great. We can call it our family restaurant. Since they’ve been there twice.”

They drove to Red Robin, ate dinner and left with tired but full kids on their hands. In the parking lot, William said goodbye too Cason and Anna. The kids held on like they were never seeing him again. 

“Hey, you’re going to see me all the time,” William promised. 

“Thank you for everything, you guys. We had a great time. I’ll see you at the station tomorrow, Jim. Bye, William.”

“Goodbye, Blair. Drive carefully and have a great day tomorrow.”

Jim went over to Blair and kissed him making Jordan and Anna make kissy noises to their dads. “See you in the morning, Blair.” Then Jim leaned into Blair and whispered in his ear, “I love you.”

Jim never saw anyone light up like that. He knew he had said the right thing. Blair hugged and whispered Sentinel soft, “I love you, Jim.”

They all got in their cars and headed home. It had been a full day and the kids were pooped. But so was William. Jim dropped him off and then went home with the kids. 

Once they were in the garage, Jim said, “Get ready for bed and just hang out in your pajamas. It’s going to be an early night to bed. I’m exhausted.”

The kids didn’t argue at all. They got ready for bed and sat in their rooms reading until it was bedtime. At Blair’s house they were doing much of the same. 

Jim called the sitter to be sure she was going to be there to get the kids off to school and when they came home from school. Cathy was great with the kids. Jim would have to ask Blair what he did with his kids. 

He dialed Blair’s number and Blair sounded as tired as Jim was. “Hello?”

“Hey there. Who watches your kids after school and before school?”

“I don’t have anyone yet. Anna has been doing everything herself. I need to find someone. I just didn’t know where to look.”

“Cathy watches mine before and after, I think I could ask her to let your two come here too. That way they can ride the bus home with my kids. How does that sound?”

“Sounds great. But that means, I would have to leave them in the morning early with you. I always go in early to catch up on paperwork and things like that. Do you mind if I bring them about 7:15?”

“Sounds good. If I don’t call you back, that means Cathy’s going to do it. See you tomorrow morning.”

“Night, Jim. I love you.”

“I love you too.”

Jim got off the phone and then dialed Cathy’s number. 

“Hey, Cathy, how do you feel about watching two more kiddos every day at my house? I have a friend whose kids go to Jordan and Juliette’s school. It would be the same hours, but I would double your pay.”

“Oh wow, that would be awesome, Jim. I was thinking I might have to stop because I just didn’t make enough. That would be perfect. I’ll see you in the morning. 7:30 sharp. Thank you.”

“Bye, Cathy.”

Jim got off and smiled. In Jim’s eyes there were one step closer to being a family with the same babysitter. He tucked the kids in bed and got ready for bed himself. _This is a great bed._

******************************

**The New Job**

Blair came into the station at 7:30 in the morning and knew he was first because Jim was still at the house when Blair dropped the kids off. There was a huge black man staring at him from his office, Blair thought he might be Simon so he started over there. “Are you Captain Banks?”

“You must be Blair Sandburg. I’m glad you came early. You have to take care of a few things down in the HR department and get you situated as a new employee. Then we’ll make your new badge, in fact we’ll do that now. Follow me. And by the way, call me Simon.”

“Thank you, Simon. I won’t let you down, sir.”

“Just Simon…”

Simon took care of everything that Blair needed to get done and then they wandered into the bullpen once again. Megan Connor was the first one to see him. 

“Are you the new consultant?” Megan asked. 

“You’re Australian, you must be Inspector Megan Connor. It’s good to meet you. Jim has told me about everyone and I hope to work with you often. Oh, sorry, the name is Blair Sandburg.”

“Simon told us about you. I hope you know you’re going to have to earn your keep.”

“I will, Megan. I won’t let you down,” Blair promised. 

Rafe and Brown walked in and Henri said, “Hi, Sandburg. My name is Henri Brown and this is my partner, Brian Rafe. We have a problem case right now and we’re hoping you can give us some help.”

“Oh, that’s wonderful. I’m ready to go as long as you both know that I don’t carry a gun.”

Rafe smiled and said, “No need, we have ours.”

Blair liked that answer and said, “Lead the way, I’m here to help.”

They took him into interrogation room one and they all sat down with what they had so far on the murder. Blair looked over all of the papers that they had so far, pulled out his tablet and began to write things already. Blair had many questions to ask and ask he did. Both Henri and Rafe were thrilled that Blair was that into it. They were in the room for about three hours and came out with a smiling Henri. 

Megan stopped him and asked, “So did he help?”

“Did he ever? He’s great. Wait till you work with him. He puts a lot of thought into each and every thing that we had written down and had ideas to go with our thoughts. He’s going to be good to have around,” Henri answered. 

“Yeah, what Henri said,” Rafe agreed. 

“Well, I could use some help on a case, if you have time. Or do you need to take a break?” Megan asked. 

“Get your things and we can meet in interrogation room one and hope to make some progress. I’m going to grab some coffee, where would I find that?”

Jim stood up from his desk and said, “Follow me.”

Once they were in the breakroom, Jim said, “Wow, you’re good.”

“Thanks, but talking about the other night’s not what we need.”

“I meant today, silly.”

“I knew that Jim. I was kidding. Thanks for showing me where the coffee pot is. Should I make a new pot? This one’s almost empty.”

“Yeah, they would love if someone actually made coffee when it was needed. It’s good to see you, Blair.”

“It’s good to see you too. Hopefully, I’ll get to work with you somewhat today.”

“I can be next. I have a couple of cases that we could look at together.”

They both walked out with their coffee and Blair went to meet Megan. 

He knocked on the door and entered the room. He saw the big file on the table and smiled. “I see you’re ready for action here. Let’s get started.”

And for two hours, that’s exactly what they did. Megan came out smiling and said, “Jimbo, he’s great. Where have you been hiding him?”

“He’s not mine to hide, Megan.”

“I was teasing, Jimbo. He told me to tell you he’s ready for you in interrogation room one.”

“Thanks, see you later.” Jim got up carrying two folders towards the interrogation room. He knocked and entered. Blair was looking like he needed a break. 

“Let me get you some coffee. I’ll be right back. In fact, we’ll get coffee later. Let’s go to lunch.”

“I’m starving. I forgot to eat today.”

“Let me tell Simon we’re leaving,” Jim said as he headed over to Simon’s office to do just that. 

They had a quick lunch and returned to go back into interrogation room one again. 

Jim went to the breakroom and got Blair and himself a cup of coffee. As he was heading back, Megan said, “He’s really good, Jimbo. Wait until he gives you some ideas to try.”

“I’m going to let him have a break. He looks worn out. You guys broke him on his first day.”

“Did we really? I didn’t mean to.”

“I was teasing, Megan.”

“Oh, you…”

Jim walked in and saw Blair reading one of the first folders and he said, “Let’s drink our coffee and take a break. You can take breaks here and everything, Blair.”

“Oh, I know. I’m having a great time, Jim. It was so much fun adding my thoughts to theirs. In fact, I see something that you might look into with this guy. You weren’t using your senses well enough then. Now you can. Let’s go back over all this and see what you could do differently.”

Jim smiled. Blair was not only doing a good job, but he was doing a great job. 

Jim went over everything for two hours and came out happy as could be. Brown walked up to Blair and said, “We got our man, Blair. Just like you told us we could do.”

“Congratulations, Henri. I’m glad that part is over.”

Henri pounded on Blair’s back as he went by and then Rafe came into the room and said, “It worked, Blair. It worked.”

“So glad to hear that my thoughts helped you so much. It was all you guys. It was there, you just passed it by.”

Rafe shook his hand and said, “I’m looking forward to working with you a lot.”

“Same here, Rafe. Have a great day.”

Blair asked Jim, “Where is my desk?”

“Right across from mine. So I can kick you under the table whenever I want to,” Jim teased. 

“Oh goody, footsies,” Blair whispered. 

“After we get off, do you want to run home, grab the kiddos and come over to my house for dinner?”

Blair smiled. “That would be great, Jim. But my kids are already there. Should I come there first? What time?”

“We get off at 5:00 so any time after 6:00.”

“It’s a date.” Blair said, teasingly and then realized he shouldn’t have said it. Megan looked at him oddly. 

“Jim, I’m sorry.”

“It’s okay, Blair. Not to worry. Megan might come over tonight for dinner. I told her I was asking you over and she said she wanted to hang with you on your off time.”

Blair looked so relived. He was afraid he had ruined everything. Okay, I’ll see you tonight. Now I have to take some notes about the day. I have to keep track.”

Jim went back and did some things on the computer and then said, “I’ll see you at the house. Drive careful.”

Jim went to say goodnight to Simon and Simon said, “Jim, come in for a moment.”

“Sir?”

“I just wanted you to know that I’ve never seen my bullpen so busy as today. Megan Connor went to arrest her guy and of course you already know about Brown’s man. Blair is good. He’s very good. You weren’t kidding when you told me about him. I wondered if he would think he was there for only you. But I saw that he didn’t play favorites at all. I’m glad he had a good day. Tell him to call it a day and go home.”

“He’s taking notes of his day with everyone. That way he can look back and see what was discussed or decided on. He’ll leave when he’s ready.”

“Night, Jim.”

“Night, Simon. See you tomorrow.”

Jim walked up to Blair and said, “You’re giving all of us a bad name. Take off. You can finish tomorrow.”

“Okay, I will.”

“See you later, Blair.”

“Soon, Jim.” Blair smiled as Jim walked away. His eyes drifted to Jim’s ass and he smiled. Blair had no idea that Simon was watching him. 

Jim got into his SUV and started driving when Simon called him. 

“Hi, Simon. What’s wrong?”

“You’re going to have to let the kid down easily, Jim. He was watching your ass as you walked off and smiling. He’s got a thing for you. You better nip it in the bud.”

“Simon, we’re a couple.”

“Couple of what?”

“Boyfriends, sir,” Jim barked. 

“Well, don’t bite my head off. How would I know? I was just looking out for your butt.”

Jim laughed and hung up on him. 

Simon put the phone down and thought to himself, _He never does anything the easy way._

******************************

**Dinner with Megan**

When Jim got home, he walked Cathy to her car then walked back into the house to make dinner. The kids were all at the table doing homework and Jim asked, “Anna, do you and Cason both like chicken?”

“Oh, yes. Are we staying for dinner?”

“Yes you are and tonight Megan Connor is coming over to visit with you. She likes working with your dad.”

“Everyone likes our dad,” Cason said, sweetly. 

The doorbell rang and Jordan jumped up to answer it. Jim already knew it was Megan, so he let Jordan do his thing. 

They walked into the kitchen and Jordan said, “Megan, this is Anna and Cason Sandburg.”

“Oh wow, he has two kids too?”

Juliette said, “They’re getting married someday.”

Jim was taking a drink of water and choked on it. “Sorry, Megan. I planned on telling you some other way.”

“I already knew, Jimbo. Sparks were flying between you two all day long.”

“I’m making Spaghetti Pie with chunks of chicken in it. Sit down with the kiddos and keep them company while I work.”

He started doing his thing and the doorbell rang. “I’ll get it,” Megan called out.”

“Hi, Sandy. Come on in. Jimbo’s in the kitchen making dinner.”

“Why did you call me Sandy?”

“Short for Sandburg. I give almost everyone a nickname except for Simon.”

“What is Brown’s nickname?” 

“H. We all call him that. It fits him.”

“And how about Rafe?”

“He’s too boring for a nickname. Simple as that.”

Blair started laughing and said, “Let’s join Jim in the kitchen.”

“I met your kids, they are super nice. You’re a lucky man, Sandy.”

“Thank you, Megan. I adore them. They’re pretty good kids too. You get away with calling Jim, Jimbo?”

She laughed. “He’s usually not too grumpy about it.”

They walked into the kitchen and Blair smiled at the kids all doing homework together. Then he looked over at Jim and gave him a fuck me smile. Jim walked over and kissed him. He didn’t care about Megan being there or not.

“So kids, what do you think about your dads being in love?” Megan asked. 

Anna was the first one to answer, “I think it’s wonderful that he’s finally seeing someone and is happy again. It’s really important to be happy.”

Jordan said, “I feel the same way. My dad hasn’t gone on a date in years, but he’s gone on two now and he’s so happy.” 

Juliette said, “They’re getting married.”

Jim and Blair both burst out laughing. 

“Why are you laughing, Daddy?” Cason wondered. 

“Because Juliette is just so darn cute,” Blair answered. 

Jim was just about ready to serve dinner. “Everyone get their things off the table. Dinner is almost done. Run and wash up, please.”

Blair asked, “Could I set the table?”

“That would be great, Blair.”

Megan decided to help too. She got the napkins and salt and pepper, putting them both on the table. 

The kids came running in and sat down where they wanted to. 

“Blair, would you grab the salad from the fridge?” Jim asked. 

Blair not only got the salad out, but also some salad dressing. This dinner was going to be awesome. 

Megan sat by Juliette and Cason knowing they would be the most fun. 

Blair and Jim sat at either end of the table. 

“I hope you all like this,” Jim said. 

“It looks delicious, Jim. We could take some for work tomorrow if we wanted to.”

“Yes, we could. If there is enough, I’ll give Megan a piece too.”

“Oh, thank you, Jim. You have two pans of it, I think there will be enough,” Megan teased. 

The kids all ate two helpings so now Megan understood why Jim made so much. 

“So Blair, how did you like your first day?” Megan asked. 

“I loved it. Everything went so smoothly. But believe me, it won’t always be like that. Some days I won’t be able to help at all. It just depends.”

“Well, I, for one, loved having you there, Blair.” Jim held up his glass of milk and said, “Cheers to the man of the hour.” Everyone at the table raised their glasses and said, “Cheers.”

Dinner was delicious, everyone ate and helped clean up. Before long, Megan left and then Blair and the kids left to get ready for bed. It had been an exceptional day. 

Jim lay in bed that night, wishing he had Blair beside him. _He’ll move in soon. I just know he will._

And that was the last thing Jim thought of.

******************************

**Two Months Later**

Jim took Blair out for dinner that night to ask him to move in with him. Jim felt like it had been enough time to figure out that they were definitely in love. 

When they arrived and seated at Sullivan’s Steak House, Blair finally broke the silence. “Why do I feel like you’re going to ask me to marry you?”

Jim’s face just fell. “How do you know this shit?”

“You want me to marry you?”

“Yes, I want us to live together, work together and raise our family together. I want everything to be about our family. It’s time, Blair.”

Blair leaned across the table and kissed Jim. “It’s about time, man.”

“What do you mean?” 

“I’ve been ready since our second date.”

“Blair, I honestly wanted to ask you after our second date, but it didn’t seem like I was giving you enough time to let it all soak in. I’m glad we’re both on the same page then.”

Jim took two rings out of his pocket. They were matching rings one in Jim’s size and one in Blair’s. They were beautiful. The design looked like a jungle scene on silver and platinum. Jim slid it onto Blair’s finger and said, “See, it fits. We’re a matching set.”

Blair kissed Jim again and had big tears in his eyes. Blair slipped the other ring onto Jim’s finger and smiled. “I honestly thought you had given up the idea of us living together. So I had sort of moved on from there. I was thinking about buying a house this weekend. I can’t believe you asked me. I’m so happy, Jim.”

Jim smiled and said, “Okay, I’m not quick when it comes to figuring out people. But I’m going to try from now on. So this Sunday is moving day. I love you, Blair.”

“And I love you. This life is great. I get two things that I love out of my work and yet I still get to spend time with you all the time. It’s a win-win situation. I’m so glad we met.”

“Stay with me forever?”

Blair only smiled and kissed his man. Things were going to be perfect. And the family was now ‘Ours’.

The end


End file.
